If you thought the Case-mate Waddler case and Monsta case were cute, you are in luck. Case-mate has introduced a series of "creatures" cases that include Frank(enstein), (King)Tut, Gil and Hoot. These cases are incredibly cute with 3D textures and key charms to create the illusions of creatures they resemble. We look at the Hoot Silicone iPhone 4 case in this review. The Hoot case for iPhone 4 is a silicone case that has a similar shape as the Waddler, but the inspiration comes from Owls instead of penguins for this case.

Design

As with other cases in the creatures series, Case-mate Hoot case for iPhone 4 uses 3D texture to create the profile of a brown owl staring at you with a cute wide eye and has a small yellow beak and gray stomach. As with the penguin-like Waddler case, the Hoot case has two rounded corner and two sharp corner. The round corners represent the head and stomach of the owl while the sharp corners represent the beak and tail of the bird. Adding the final touches, the case has a raised wing and drawing in different colors to complete the look. In case it?s not so obvious from looking at the case, you also get a ?Hoot? key charm to give you a hint.

As with the previous creatures cases, the Hoot case for iPhone 4 from Case-mate is made with silicone in medium thickness. The case has a very smooth interior and a rougher exterior for better handling the iPhone 4. The case is light at 1.4 ounces and certainly has a tighter fit than the Monsta case and Waddler case. Even when you tug on the key charm, the corner of the Hoot case doesn?t come off of the phone. This is definitely a great improvement over the last creature cases. The textured surface gives the case a more rugged look, and it can protect the iPhone 4 from scratches, pokes and bumps in your backpack or purse.

The Hoot Case from Case-mate also covers the front display bezel with a good amount of thickness, so that when you put your iPhone 4 face down or drop it, the case will absorb the shock and touch the surface instead of the iPhone 4?s display. The sharp corners also are thicker to provide more structural protection.

Features

The Hoot Silicon iPhone 4 case has similar cutouts and button covers as the Waddler case, and they offer generous space except the rear camera cutout. The Hoot case has a long cutout on the bottom to expose the 30-pin connector and bottom mic and speaker grills. The cutout is large enough for the iPhone 4 to work with many audio systems and docking stations while in the Hoot case. The side cutout exposes the silence button and works with both the AT&T and Verizon versions of the iPhone 4. The top cutout leaves out the audio out jack and top mic, and you should have no trouble using any headset/headphones with the iPhone 4 in the case.

The power button and the volume buttons are under the case cover, but the Hoot case offers raised silicone buttons that make it very easy to use the controls that are under the case. The Hoot case has an oval cutout for the rear camera and flash as a part of the owl?s eye, but the cutout is a bit small. Though it doesn?t obscure the camera?s view it does block some light from the flash.

Conclusion

If you like your iPhone 4 case cute, you?ve found the right series of cases. Case-mate is growing the creatures case series with some adorable characters even when they are supposed to be scary ones. The Hoot Silicone iPhone 4 Case has the signature design of the series and made some improvement on the form. It has a tighter fit than the last creature cases we?ve seen, and it provides good protection for the iPhone 4. The case has a charming and playful design that should attract younger iPhone 4 users or those are young at heart. The case currently comes in brown and the only imperfection is the rear camera cutout that?s a bit too small.